4 injured, 1 seriously, in car crash

Alcohol, speed suspected

Authorities suspect drunken driving in a car crash that injured four Ignacio-area residents – possibly paralyzing a man from the waist down – during the weekend in southeast La Plata County.

The crash was reported about 4 a.m. Sunday on County Road 329 about a mile east of the intersection with County Road 328, near Alison.

Joshua R. Kerrigan, 27, was driving a white 2004 Subaru Impreza westbound on County Road 329, a gravel road, when he lost control while negotiating a curve at the top of a hill, said Trooper Jonathan Silver, with the Colorado State Patrol.

The car rotated counterclockwise before it ran off the left side of the road, collided with a large culvert and rolled several times before coming to rest on its top.

None of the four occupants were wearing seat belts, Silver said.

Kerrigan needed to be extricated from the vehicle, a passenger was ejected and two passengers crawled out on their own, he said.

Kerrigan suffered serious injuries and is possibly paralyzed from the waist down, according to a family friend and the State Patrol. Efforts to reach family members Monday were unsuccessful.

He was flown to St. Anthony Hospital in Lakewood, where he was listed in fair condition Monday night.

Two of the occupants, Garrett Lewis, 22, and Calvin Sandoval, 22, also suffered serious injuries, the State Patrol reported.

Their conditions were unavailable Monday; they were no longer at Mercy Regional Medical Center, according to a spokesman.

The fourth passenger, Christopher Betzer, suffered minor injuries.

Authorities suspect alcohol was involved based on observations at the scene, at the hospital and statements made to troopers, Silver said.

“It sounds like it was just a night out with the buddies and a birthday celebration,” he said.

Speed also appears to have played a role, Silver said.

It has been a rough year for the Kerrigan family.

Kerrigan’s brother, Patrick Allen Kerrigan, died Sept. 15 after accidentally being struck by a train in Newcastle, Wyo. He was 34.